The subject matter disclosed herein relates to an electrical switching apparatus and more particularly to an electrical switching apparatus having a damper assembly.
Electrical switching apparatuses and switchgears are known in the art for interrupting the flow of electrical current within an electric circuit. Such electrical switching apparatuses include vacuum circuit breakers, among other types of circuit breakers and electrical switches. The interruption created by an electrical switching apparatus can be caused by disconnecting two electrical contacts by physically moving the contacts away from each other. To this end, a circuit interrupter mechanism, such as a shaft, linkage, or combination thereof, that is mechanically coupled to one or more of the electrical contacts can be moved in order to disconnect the contacts. In a vacuum circuit breaker, the electrical contacts are isolated within a vacuum. Movement of the circuit interrupter mechanism can be triggered by a spring or other energy storage device.
A damper assembly can be included to help improve the operating characteristics of the electrical switching apparatus regardless of type. The damper assembly can affect characteristics of the apparatus such as opening speed, over travel, and bounce or rebound of the circuit interrupter mechanism. However, damper assemblies must be specifically chosen or laboriously adjusted to properly set the characteristics for any given electrical switching apparatus. The industry would well receive a damper assembly that enables the operating characteristics of an electrical switching apparatus to be accurately and quickly adjusted.